Credit for Battagram cable car operation goes to whole nation: Kakar

ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar on Thursday said that the credit of the successful chairlift rescue operation in Battagram goes to the whole nation as people kept praying for the safety of trapped passengers stuck in the hanging cable car. He awarded commendation certificates to commandos of Special Services Group (SSG), armed forces personnel, local residents, officials of civil administration and police, who made joint efforts to rescue the eight trapped passengers of a dangling cable car in Battagram.

Speaking at a ceremony at the Prime Minister’s House, he said the credit goes to all Pakistanis who prayed during the high-risk operation. “Millions of people were distraught when this incident took place and the cable car incident left Pakistanis and people around the world in a state of anxiety,” he said.

The prime minister commended the heroes who completed the daring operation successfully with prayers of the whole nation. The survivors were also invited to the ceremony and were given souvenirs. “Children are the future of this country and by saving them, we saved our nation’s future,” the prime minister said. The prime minister also embraced the rescuers and survivors. He said the successful endeavour was a collaborative achievement, acknowledging that every individual involved deserved recognition as they exhibited remarkable prowess in orchestrating the mission to a triumphant conclusion.

He said the entire nation shared the concerns for the trapped children, who remained stranded on the chairlift for hours and the whole nation prayed for their safety. “Being a father, I can feel the pain of stranded children’s parents but the teamwork based on prudent, efficient planning ensured their safety. Hats off to all of you who did an immaculate job. The biggest credit goes to those who were carrying out the planning,” he said.

Referring to the martyrdom of security personnel in South Waziristan, the prime minister said that those trying to obstruct the state’s functioning through their ill intentions must remove their misunderstanding. He reiterated that the nation would never forget the sacrifices of martyrs of the war against terrorism, including politicians, police services, Pakistan Army, journalists, PAF, and common citizens.

He said the state of affairs were in safe hands and those seeking use of force should not remain under any misunderstanding. “This is our home and we know how to run it,” the caretaker prime minister remarked while reiterating that the caretaker government had limited time and mandate to facilitate the forthcoming general elections.

He said sacrifices of security forces personnel could only be recognized through respect. “We revere them and we respect them,” he commented. The prime minister stressed that capacity building of the local rescue departments to deal with such emergencies should also be enhanced.

The survived children, while sharing their views with the premier, said they were happy when they saw that a Pakistan Army team had arrived to start the rescue operation. Caretaker federal ministers Murtaza Solangi, Jalil Abbas Jilani, Jamal Shah, Sarfaraz Bugti, Anwar Ali Hyder, Ijaz Gohar and Madad Ali Sindhi also attended the ceremony.

Meanwhile, Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar Thursday held a meeting with Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Chaudhry Anwar-ul-Haq.

The AJK prime minister congratulated him on assuming the office of caretaker prime minister and expressed his best wishes for him. The caretaker prime minister assured the AJK prime minister of unconditional support of Pakistan to Kashmir. He said Pakistan stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the people of Kashmir in their struggle for right to self-determination.

The PM said Pakistan would continue diplomatic, political and moral support of Kashmiris till the Kashmir issue was resolved according to the United Nations Security Council Resolutions and as per wishes of the people of Kashmir through a plebiscite.